No Stars- A Nico Di Angelo Love Story
by KamrieLeigh
Summary: "You're a demigod. What's your name?" "Mackenzie." The boy in front of me narrows his eyes as if he is debating on a decision. Black hair falls into his face but he doesn't move it. He is twisting his skull ring around and around on his finger. Finally, he holds out his hand, gesturing for me to take it. "Come with me."
1. No Stars Preview

Mackenzie is _dead. _She was sent to the Fields of Asphodel back in the 1970's after barely skipping the Fields of Punishment. She was suppose to be watching the blank faces of souls scatter by like she did every day, but instead she was listening to the heartbeat of a living person. _A living person._

She remembers her life before, she doesn't know how, but she wishes she didn't. She wishes she was just another confused soul moping around. Maybe if she was, she wouldn't have taken the boys hand. Maybe if she didn't remember, she wouldn't have caused the pain that came with being alive again. Maybe if she didn't, she wouldn't have fallen love with the son of Hades. Maybe if she didn't, she wouldn't be sitting alone in the forest with blood covering her hands. But she does remember.

And it's all her fault


	2. Chapter 1- Come Away

Walking among my fellow dead cell mates, the endless meadows of wheat seems more unextraordinary than normal. The nonstop endless breeze brushes across my bare skin and blows my dark hair from my face. My white gown, that matches everyone else's that is here, ripples and tickles my exposed legs.

I decide to get up from my favorite place under a tree to the more darker side of the fields. I have to move past several people, it gets over crowded this part of year. After walking a few yards, it turns dark.

There seems to be more excitement in the crowds of souls today. The meaningless chitchat echoes throughout the fields, causing me to sit on a black bench with my hands cupped around my ears.

My ears are extremely sensitive. I think it's because of the dong they sound off every time somebody enters the Field.

I don't know how long I've been here. It seems like forever, though. It's boring here, there's nothing to do but watch the faces of strangers. Blank and empty.

I use to try and talk to the others, but after awhile, I realized I'm the only one that can keep up a conversation. Everyone else forgets where they are every 10 seconds. Not to mention, they don't even know who they are.

Maybe the reason I remember is because I'm a demigod. Or maybe it's because the stupid people who put me down here wanted me to suffer. To remember my past forever. I shudder. Thinking about those times make me sick.

Somebody sits next to me. They are humming a tune. Wait-… I know that song!

I look at the old lady in disbelief and a small smile forms on my lips. Could it be? Could this lady actually be one to remember? It would sure make this hell hole a lot better to have somebody to talk to. I turn my body to where I'm facing her.

"Roadrunner," I speak. "Jonathan Richman! What a star he is, huh?" I'm practically on top of the lady, anticipating her answer.

"Oh yes! Handsome man." She replies.

I want to shriek in joy but I decide not to because I don't feel like being punished. If they found out I can remember my life, there is no telling what they would inflict on me. "Have you heard _"The Man Who Sold The World_" sung by Lulu and the Luvvers?"

She nods. "Interesting song. Sung by various artist. I prefer the one by David Bowie."

My words gets mumbled together because when I get excited I talk fast. And boy am I thrilled right now! This is the longest conversation I've had in ages! "I'm Mack." I hold out my hand.

The lady gracefully takes my hand. "Elizabeth." I can tell that she was once a very proper lady when she was alive. She also has a strong British accent.

"Do you know any songs by-"The old lady gives me a confused look, making me trail off, wondering what she is thinking. She looks puzzled and my face falls in disappointment. I know that look too well.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

I'm stupid. So stupid for thinking somebody else would be able to remember, be able to be my friend. Or acquaintance. Maybe it's for the best. I don't deserve friends.

I don't respond to the old lady. I rise from the bench and look around. The chaotic talking gets louder and I hear a bang. Then, I hear something I haven't heard in a long time… A steady rhythm.

A demigod, I suppose. Sometimes they come down here for quests. I've only ever talked to one once before, it seems like ages ago. I don't even remember what she looked like. All she asked for was directions.

She had came up to me looking panicked and in a rush. I think she had brown hair. Somehow she knew I remembered, so she asked me the way to Hades place. She left as soon as I told her, without even a goodbye, leaving me in heartbreak. I actually thought she would stay and talk to me longer.

Determined to talk to this new person, I push my way around the souls, following the beat. It gets louder by the second, it's so beautiful. For a second, I selfishly hope that that person dies soon. I'm jealous.

They boy isn't facing me. He is talking to another soul, getting aggravated that she can't keep up a conversation. I stand a few feet behind him and inch my way closer. I can smell his scent. He smells like grass. Fresh grass and trees, a smell I haven't experienced in a long time. I laugh feeling refreshed.

I think he notices me. I watch as he tenses up and his hands go to his sword. He spins around quickly and slashes, but the sword swipes through me. I'm made of vapor.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I thought you were-…." I think he trails off because he doesn't think I'm paying attention. But I am. Oh gosh, he looks so lovely. His voice is smooth, not monotone like the others. His skin is pale, so pale it reminds me of the ghost, but his cheeks have a tinge of red in them. Proof that he has a beating heart. I just want to touch them and feel the warmth. "Never mind. Sorry."

"S'okay."

He whips around once again with a shocked look to his face. His eyes examine me and make me feel uncomfortable. "Who are you?" I bet he realizes normal ghost in the Fields don't reply like that.

"My name is Mackenzie." I hold my head high.

His head tilts to the side. "You remember," He says in disbelief, eyes widening.

I nod in response. Then, I touch his wrist and somehow I don't fall through his flesh. He flinches away very quickly. He's not like I imagined. His hands are freezing.

"How?" He asks me.

"I don't know," I reply honestly. "I've remembered my life for as long as I can remember. Ever since I got in here."

He stares at me very intensively. "Wait… You're a demigod." His black shaggy hair falls into his face.

"How did you know?"

"I can just tell." Is all he says.

I don't want him to leave. I want him to stay so I no longer have to be alone. "Why are you in here? On some sort of quest?"

"I don't do quest. Those are only for campers. I'm a solo son of Hades."

Son of Hades? "So you come here a lot?" I ask hopefully. Maybe he can come and visit me.

"Yeah. I look for people."

"Look for who?" I try to keep the conversation going, my mouth watering to speak. The boy doesn't seem like one to talk much.

"That is none of your business." He shoots, surprising me.

I cross my arms and try to look intimidating. The strange boy just shakes his head at me and mumbles a sorry. He turns to leave but I quickly run in front of him, he easily passes through me.

"Wait! Please, don't leave." I beg. "You're the first person I have spoke to in a long time." Is it possible to kidnap him and force him to stay? Maybe if I had ropes.

He looks at me skeptically, his eyes flickering in thought. For a second, I think he might stay with me. But then he looks uneasy as if he is debating on a hard decision. "I pity you."

I narrow my eyes. Uh, pardon me? "I'm sorry?"

The mysterious boy begins to twist his skull ring around and around on his finger. The smallest smile appears on his face and he mumbles something to himself. At last, he holds out his hand. "Come with me."

Astonished, I shake my head. "Come with you where?" I ask dumbly even though I already know the answer.

"I'll take you with me. Drop you off somewhere safe. You can live again."

"How?"

"I'm a son of Hade, remember? I can do anything." He sounds confident as he extends his hand towards me further.

Is it entirely possible? My body aches to feel heat again and it takes self control to not throw myself at him in desperation. My brain tells me something different.

_Not safe. Remember what you are._

I ignore the voice.

Only thinking of myself, and not the consequences, I take his hand. Somehow it fits perfectly in his. A small smile forms on my lips and I can already smell the woods. "Okay."


	3. Chapter 2- Alive With Consequences

A pool of darkness is all I experience for several seconds. The sensation is so strong, I can feel it wrapping around me, warping me into the oblivion. The only guarantee I'm okay, is the soft touch of the boys hand tight around mine.

Then it's over.

Darkness fades into day and I see the sun. I feel the warmth, tilting my head back and lifting my arms to get a better feel. I can hear birds chirping merrily and I laugh. I laugh and fall into the grass, it's muddy, it probably just rained. I don't care.

I lay down and twirl the long grass in between my fingers, letting it touch each part of my exposed skin. My white gown is filthy in seconds, I forgot how much I loved this feeling. My mane of hair is full of weeds and leaves. A butterfly lands inches away from me and I watch it in awe. So delicate and beautiful.

"Are you done yet?"

The boy is leaning up against the tree, he is wearing a frown but I can swear I see a bit of amusement in his dark eyes.

I pull myself up from the ground and look around more. Trees in every direction. Grass on every ground. A strong warm wind blows, flying leaves in different directions.

"Look!" I yell in excitment. "My hand isn't going through the tree!" I punch the tree, it hurts but I don't care.

"Yes, very cool." He responds.

I take the boys hand but he pulls away. "Where are we?"

His only reply is, "New York."

_New York. _Far away from my old house in little old Virginia.

_Virginia. Home. _

Memories flash through my mind, I try to push them away. _I could never go back._

"The city?" I question, my fingers trailing designs in the tree bark.

"Close," He replies, taking a breath. He looks tired. He keeps using the tree as support to stay on his feet. "We're in a fairly large part of land in nearby Manhattan, if you remember where that is."

"Of course I do," I scoff. "It's by the Empire State Building."

"Correct," He begins to walk to the right, gesturing for me to follow. "You haven't been out in awhile, things have changed."

"Things couldn't have changed that much," I say.

I was wrong.

When we emerge out of the woods, I'm thrown into the new world of electronics. Everywhere I look, someone has their eyes glued to a rectangular looking device. Stunning cars drive around, looking bold and new as ever.

"Thought I would show you around before I take you to camp," My rescuer exclaims. "You need to know about this kind of stuff before you go and meet people."

"Will they know?" I ask. "I mean, that I came back to life..."

"Only if you want them to. If you don't, I won't tell anyone."

"I don't want them to."

He nods and starts to explain the ways of modern civilization. About iphones and computer, what's hot and what's not, what's in and what's out, and even about how the gods live above the Empire State Building.

I try to keep up, only asking occasional questions. I've always been good at memory, but this is just too much to take in.

"You're probably going to need new clothes too. I mean, that gown kind of gives it away…" He leans his weight to his left foot awkwardly. He isn't looking me in the eyes.

I nod. "Okay, okay. What is an "in" store around here?" A smile appears on my face.

He doesn't smile back. All he does is lightly touch me on the shoulder and guide me to the nearest store, which happened to be Walmart.

I look at the boy as if he offered me a dead fly. I remember Walmart, we had some around when I was alive, however long ago that was. It was the lamest store in the world. Whenever a kid at school would show up wearing something that even resembled the Walmart logo, they were brutally bullied.

The sliding doors scare the hell out of me when they open. I almost tackled the son of Hades to the ground when we have to walk through these weird contraptions that beep when we walked through.

He leads me into the women's section. "Pick out anything you want. I have some money on me," He says. "I'll be… Uh, over there." He points to the nearest cash register and walks off.

The clothes are ugly.

I grab random shirts and shorts, having to pick out the smallest size due to being isolated with no food for years. I yank open the door to the dressing room and throw my pile of clothes on the floor.

The mirror makes me jump and I find myself pressing my face against the cool glass, not recognizing the girl in the mirror. I don't remember looking like this. Sure I haven't seen my face in so long, but I always held on to the image I use to see.

Large brown eyes stare back at me. My skin is so pale, it's almost transparent, sickening. My neck bones stick out and when I pull off my gown, I can see my ribs. It doesn't look healthy. I remind myself to eat a large hamburger when I get to this camp.

I decide on wearing a blue t-shirt with a daisy on it. If I would have seen this shirt when I was firstly alive, I wouldn't thrown it into a boiling fire. But now, I want to see as much nature as possibly, even if it is stitched on cheap material.

After seeing how long my leg hair is, I decide on wearing jeans. Folding two extra pairs of shirts and a pair of shorts, I set off to the camping area where I stuff them in a pink backpack. I also grab a toothbrush and a shaver before finding the boy again.

I'm combing my hair with my fingers when I walk up to him. Afraid to spend all his money, I didn't grab a hairbrush.

"Ready?" He asks.

I nod and dump my things on the ceckout counter. After purchasing, we head back outside into the sun where I stop where I am and let the sun shine on me like a plant. Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath, loving having my lungs filled with air.

When I open them, the boy is staring at me. "What?" I ask, tugging the backpack futher up my boney shoulder.

A small smile forms on his lips, but it is quickly washed away. "Nothing," He starts to walk back into the woods. "I'm a bit tired to shadow travel again, I'm afraid we will have to walk."

"Fine by me," I say. Honestly, I wanted to walk anyway. I love the feel of grass brushing against my feet. After a few seconds, I break the silence. "You know, I've never met a son of Hades."

"Oh yeah?" He steps over a fallen branch.

"Yep. My father, he knew about demigods-" I catch myself. _You can't. He'll figure it out. _"He use to tell me all about them. He said he knew a lot of the children of the gods, but never came across a Hades kid. I miss him. He was very helpful to me."

The last part was a lie. My father thought of me as a monster. I shiver, remember all the nights of being forced to be tapped down inside a freezer.

"That's nice. He might be still alive, we could find him. If you want I could take you there instead."

"No!" I say a little too quickly. The boy raises an eyebrow and I look away. "I want to go to this camp. It sounds… Intriguing…"

"Well you should at least check up on him. If he knows all about the gods, he shouldn't be that surprised if someone came back to life. You don't want to lose him, having no family sucks." His mouth, in a tight line, twitches.

"I never got your name," I blurt.

He doesn't answer instantly. Several seconds pass before he says, "It's Nico. Nico di Angelo."

"Nico," I say. Letting it roll off my tongue. "I like it."

We walk in silence the rest of the way. The sun is setting and I have to stop many times to let my eyes absorb the beautiful colors. Nico has to practically drag me away.

Soon, the trees begin to disappear and we have to climb a large hill. At the top of the hill is a lone tree, one with a strange looking animal underneath it. As we get closer, I realize it's not an animal. It's a dragon.

"Nico," I whimper, clutching on to his arm to make him stop with me. I've heard many horror stories about Dragons, and terror wraps over me.

I just came back to life! I don't want to be sent to the Fields again. If I die again, I may not even go to the Fields! The judges took pity on me last time, they might change their minds this time.

Nico narrows his eyes at me before pulling away and walking right up to the dragon. I expect him to do something courageous, like take out that gleaming sword attached to his belt buckle. No, he just scratches the dragon under its chin.

The dragon purrs in delight and rolls onto its side. Nico waves me over and I cautiously walk towards him. "This is Peleus," Nico says, scratching the dragon behind its ear. "He guards the golden fleece." He nudges his head in the direction of a golden blanket draped around a branch.

My hand comes out and rubs the dragons rough skin. The dragon growls at first, but Nico suggest I scratch his chin, and once I do, I instantly become the dragons best friend.. When we get up to continue our journey, the dragon begins to follow me like a lost puppy.

"No, Peleus," Nico says in a wanna-be Alpha voice. Peleus lets out a muffled gargle that sounds like a groan before laying down.

I follow Nico down the hill, the setting sun provides little lighting but the fierce bond fire lights up the entire field. Cabins are built in a horseshoe shape and the fire is blazing in the middle. I can see a long lake that seems to be leading to a beach. A rock wall stands tall with campers still racing to the top.

I find myself smiling. All these kids, they are all just like me. Well… Maybe not exactly like me. I would place a bet I'm the only daughter of Nyx in the world. Even if I did have a sibling, they wouldn't be here. The camp would probably kick them out, which means nobody can ever know who my mother is.

_You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous. You're dangerous._

That's when the full thought of what I have just done hits me. Now, instead of seeing happy campers, I see dead bodies. Instead of seeing beautiful cabins, I see buckets of blood smothered on the wood. My head spins and I fall to the ground.

_"Your gruesome history will repeat its self one day."_ My father's voice is new and strong, it's like he is here and whispering in my ear.

A flash of memory lights up my eyes. I see my brother's mutated face. I witness myself drowning a blonde girl. I see myself breaking into a house to terminate a family. And now, I see myself hurting everyone here.

I didn't understand what he meant at the time.

I'm a killer.

And I always will be.


	4. Chapter 3- Nico Offers

**Whoa haven't updated this in forever, so sorry! I've been trying to finish my other fanfic before I officially start this one! Bear with me for a few more weeks so I can finish my other story. Once I'm done with that, this story will have my 100% attention!:D**

* * *

"Mackenzie?" Nico says kneeling beside me. "Are you okay?"

My face in buried in my knees and my continues rocking probably makes me look crazy. "No," I say honestly. "I'm not."

He gives my shoulder a slight nudge. "I know it's overwhelming, but it will be better once we get you into a cabin."

"I can't…" Standing up, I turn my back on the camp. "I can't be here. This was a mistake." _Leave now. Leave now. Leave now._

Nico's eyes narrow in confusion. "A mistake coming to camp or being alive again?"

"Both!" I grab Nico by the wrist, bringing my frantic face close to his. "Nico, I can't be here! Take me back! Please take me back!"

He continues to look at me in wonder, but when tears dare to form in the corner of my eyes, he steady's me and stares directly into them. "Calm down. Why such a change in thought?"

"I can't-… You don't want to know."

"Hey, Nico!" A voice calls. My head whips around to see a boy in his late teens, probably around 18. His black hair is wet and in a mess, a fresh cut is plastered on his cheek, but his green eyes still sparkle in excitement.

Nico stands up and gives the boy one of those manly side hugs. Nico looks a bit awkward standing next to him, however, a small smile is beginning to form across his lips.

"Haven't seen you in months! Where've you been?"

While Nico begins to explain his absents, I take it as my chance to creep away. I barely take two steps when the green eyed boy calls, "Hey, where you going?"

I curse to myself and turn around. "I have to leave."

"You're not going anywhere," He responds chuckling, grabbing my wrist and walking me down the hill.

"Really," I protest, trying to tug my arm out of his grip. The sun is beginning to fall further down the sky. "Please, I have to leave!"

"Percy," Nico calls from behind us. The green eyed boy, Percy, stops to look at him.

Nico stutters, trying to come up with an excuse. "She's still a little confused…"

"No problem!" Percy says smiling. "I'll explain everything and take her to the Hermes cabin until she is claimed."

I don't correct him that I've already been claimed. Instead, I mumble, "Cabin?"

"Yeah, new campers stay in the Hermes cabin until their godly parent claims them. They also have to share it with actually Hermes kids, but don't worry, they are very welcoming."

_No. No. No!_ If I'm staying here, I have to have a cabin to myself. I won't risk hurting anybody. In a panic, I look at Nico. Although he doesn't know of my situation, I think he gets the hint.

"It's a little overwhelming, Percy. She can just-… She can stay in my cabin tonight."

I let out a sigh in relief.

Percy's eyes narrow. "That's against the rules, Nico."

Nico stares back at him with a blank expression. "Since when do you follow the rules?"

Percy cracks a smile and then looks at me. Then back at Nico. And back at me. Then back at Nico. And smiles even wider. "Oh, I see."

I don't know what he is talking about, but Nico's face burns bright red. He walks right past Percy, taking my wrist and dragging me along with him.

As we walk, I notice how campers seem to be staying clear of us. Some wave at me, but none actually introduce themselves. Not that I care, the less people I know the better, but I wonder if it has anything to do with the son of Hades next to me.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts, I didn't notice that we have stopped until I bump into Nico. "Sorry,"

Nico shakes it off. "This is my cabin," He says, gesturing to the black building. It looks exactly how I expected. Dark.

We walk in, and it's creepy of how much it reminds me of the Underworld. There is only one window and one bed, the rest of the cabin is completely empty except for the drawer and mirror shoved in the corner.

"What a lovely place," I say with a chuckle.

"Thanks," He responds, taking blankets out of the drawer. He starts to make a pallet on the floor. "Uh, You can take the bed."

I nod and make my way to the small bed. Sitting down, I ask, "You're not… Staying in here too, are you?"

Nico looks at me oddly. "Yeah, I am. Don't let the bags fool you, I need sleep too."

I close my eyes tight. Now what?

I have to tell him. He needs to be safe.

Shaking my head, I push that thought away. No. He would be afraid of me, nobody can find out. Who knows, maybe the curse left me? Maybe it was left behind when I became alive again.

Peeking my eyes open, I find Nico standing a few feet in front of me. He has a pair of athletic shorts in his hands. He looks a bit awkward. "You can sleep in these. I don't remember you got pajamas at Walmart…" He hands them to me and turns around. "I won't look."

I pull off my jeans, not really caring that a boy is in the room. I'm surprised to find the shorts are only a little bit bigger on me. I guess they belong to Nico because he is almost as equally skinny as I am.

I clear my throat and Nico turns around. He doesn't give me a second glance before laying down on his blankets, resting his hands behind his head.

I feel uneasy, he notices. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I lie.

"Really, what's wrong? You were super excited to get here and when we did, you starting freaking out."

"I guess it just hit me… Being alive and all." Which is partly true.

With that, he nods and turns over to were his back is facing me. I shut my eyes again, trying not to think about what will happen tonight. I know it will come either way, if I'm awake or asleep, as soon as the moon comes up, I will be a killer.

And that's my last thought before my mind goes blank.

* * *

The sun shines in through the one window. At first, I still believe I'm in the Fields, then the images of what happened yesterday burst into my head all at once.

Quickly, I look at my hands. Clear of blood. That's' a good sign.

Next, I check my head. No dreams last night. That's a bad sign.

And lastly, I check my surrondings.

I yelp in surprise when I see Nico staring at me from across the room. He looks beyond tired and staggers when he tries to stand up. He walks towards me and points an accusing finger, his face suddenly wearing an angered expression.

"It would have been nice to know you were a daughter of Nyx!" He yells.

Lost for words, the only thing I can think to say is, "I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry?" He says. "You don't even know what I had to go through last night! I had to summon the dead to keep you from tearing my head off, I am completely _drained_."

My body shakes. I can't control my hands from vibrating. "What did I do? Did I hurt anybody?"

"Fortunately you didn't. I was jolted awake by glass breaking," He looks to the mirror in the corner of the room, it's shattered. "I didn't know what was going on until you tried to _attack_ me. Come on Mackenzie, you could've killed me!"

A single tear falls from my eye. "I can't control it. I didn't want to tell you because I thought everyone would hate me."

Nico sighs and sits next to me on the bed. "You'll may never learn," He says. "Half-Bloods of Nyx are uncommon. The few that I know of didn't have a happy ending. They normally figure out they can't be around others and live a lonely life."

Frowning, "Thanks," I mumble, crossing my arms.

Nico pushes his messy hair out from his face. "Sorry, it's the truth. But I think you should stay here at camp. Chiron can help you-"

"No!" I interrupt, standing up and waving my arms in the air. "You don't tell anybody, alright! Nobody but you knows, okay, di Angelo?"

He holds up his hands in surrender. "I just think it would help you."

"I don't need any help because I'm leaving." I grab my backpack I got at Wal-Mart and throw it over my shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa," Nico protests, running in front of me. "You can't leave!"

I raise an eyebrow. "And why not? Would you rather me murder everybody?"

Nico groans in frustration. "Listen, _Killer_, I want to help you. I actually find it cool to meet a daughter of Nyx. Nyx's figurine had-…" He trails off. "Just let me try to help you, okay?"

My eyes narrow. "You're crazy," I say. "Why would you want to help me?"

Nico sighs. "Because I know what it feels like to feel isolated from others."

I start to chew on my bottom lip. Could it be possible to learn to control, even just a little bit? He kept me from hurting someone last night, but the dead can't keep me down forever. Nothing can restrain me… I learned that the hard way when my father chained me down inside a locked freezer. I clawed my way out, my nails were completely gone when I woke up.

But it would be a chance to be happy again. I could make friends, start over if I had somebody to help me in a good way. Finally, I nod. "Okay."

Nico doesn't smile. He looks serious. I think he is still mad at me from not telling him, but he doesn't let it show. Purple bags raid his exhausted eyes, even worse than last night. "It's not going to be easy… And it's going to be even harder since you don't want me to tell anybody."

"I haven't changed my mind on that, so don't expect me to go around announcing my mother."

"Fine," He grumbles. "But you have to act normal, alright? No freaking out around others and you have to stay with the Hermes kids."

A surge of panic electrifies my body. "What? No! I want to stay with you!"

"I'll be there," He says. "You can stay in my cabin at night, and I basically do whatever I want, so I'll just do whatever the Hermes cabin is doing. And… You have to meet Chiron."

I frown and shake my head. "The camp leader? Nico, I can't."

"It's alright it's-"

A bell interrupts him.

"That would be breakfast…" Nico announces. "Come on," He opens the door. "Let's go meet the others.

With shaky hands and a pounding heart, I follow him out the door.


End file.
